TUFOIC Newsletter

Magazine Overview

Title: TUFOIC Newsletter
Issue Date: November 1995
Edition: 76
Publisher: Tasmanian UFO Investigation Centre
Location: P.O. Box 174, South Hobart, Tasmania, 7004, AUSTRALIA

This issue of the TUFOIC Newsletter celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Tasmanian UFO Investigation Centre, founded in October 1965. It provides a historical overview of the Centre's activities, details numerous UFO sightings and investigations across Tasmania, and includes a 'Skywatch' section on astronomical phenomena and a 'Late News' section on recent reports.

TUFOIC Thirty Years On

The Centre was founded thirty years prior to this issue, following a meeting to gauge interest in the UFO subject, which was experiencing a global surge in activity. Robert Burge initiated the Centre but passed away shortly after its founding. Stalwarts Eric Bantick and Jeanette Bigwood kept the group active during quieter periods, while Ken Bennetto investigated cases across Southern Tasmania. The Centre experienced fluctuating membership, from a low of three members to over thirty in the mid-1970s.

Over the years, the Centre has received reports of various phenomena, including cigar objects, discs, car pacings, landings, poltergeist phenomena, and ghosts. Investigations have developed a methodical approach, with Investigations Co-ordinator Keith Roberts maintaining a log of reports, considered possibly the only continuous record of incoming public calls in Australia outside of early RAAF investigations. Unidentified cases are logged in the TASCAT database, which has evolved from a VIC20 to a Microsoft Access database, allowing for detailed queries. The Centre publishes newsletters, an annual report, and special publications, and now utilizes the Internet, Paranet, and Mufonet networks for information.

UFO Events of Note

The newsletter lists a chronological series of UFO events recorded in Tasmania:

• 1950 January: Port Arthur - First Close Encounter report in TASCAT.
• 1956 Winter: Lake Highway - Light mass by roadside, possible memory loss.
• 1960 October-November: Cressy and North - Cigar object with discs, lights, explosions, and a USAF jet sighting.
• 1965: Maatsuyker Island - Series of lights near the lighthouse.
• 1969: Southport, Kelvedon, Glenorchy, Mt Lloyd, Paddy Island, and Bronte - Landings or near ground reports.
• 1971: Norwood, Lynchford, Wilmot, and Triabunna - Landings with traces.
• 1972 December: Lachlan and New Norfolk - Dome object over hopfields and town, followed by an explosion.
• 1974 February: Latrobe and Derwent Valley - Car pacing reports and a police sighting.
• 1974 April to January 1975: North East Tasmania - Major flap with a yellow banana-shaped object and auto-stop cases.
• 1975 January-April: Lake Sorell and Midlands - Continued flap with sightings of figures and objects with beams.
• 1975 Later: Levendale - Run of light reports.
• 1976 February-April: Maydena - Concentration of light reports, with hundreds of witnesses.
• 1977 March-May: Hobart - Erratic light cases, including a whizzing light.
• 1978 October: King Island - The Valentich incident, involving disappearance of pilot and aircraft after encountering a cigar object.
• 1979 August: Murchison Highway - Motorist followed by a green light affecting car control and time.
• 1982 February-September: George Town - Red nocturnal light reported, with sound recordings.
• 1982 July: Highclere - Motorist's car stops, round object in paddock, fence giving off sparks.
• 1983 November: West Coast - Motorist lost control due to a round blue object overhead, journey time shortened.
• 1986 Summer: Derwent Valley - Large oval object with bright lights lands on property.
• 1987 December: Northern Midlands - Motorist followed by lights, white mass landing, car motor failure, whistling noise.
• 1993: Only four unexplained cases, an all-time low.
• 1994-1995: Hobart - Reports of orange lights, possibly due to hoax hot air garbage bags.

November Review

As of the writing of this review, there were only 3 unidentified cases for the year, with the last one occurring in April. This figure, if unchanged, would represent an all-time low. A fourth case involved a Snug family reporting two flashing lights over Bruny Island, with no Civil Aviation aircraft recorded in the area.

Several older cases were also reported:

• 1981: South of Perth, Midlands Highway - A bright light approached and hovered above a car, resulting in an hour of missing time for the occupants.
• Mid-1983: North of Westbury - A witness awoke to a figure leaning over his bed, dressed in creamy white material. The figure disappeared, and the room was lit by a bright circle of light on the wall. The light moved to a vertical position on the pathway and then along the house contours before disappearing.
• 1989: St Peters Pass - A motorist reported a large circular light below the hills, illuminating the road and trees.

The newsletter notes the significant news of the Roswell Alien Figure film being shown publicly, raising questions about the authenticity of the body depicted. It also mentions the Centre's new Internet contact address ([email protected]) and the availability of the TASCAT 1995 Tasmanian UFO Catalogue for $2.50, detailing over 500 investigated reports.

Late News...Late News

Recent weeks have seen two significant reports:

• Late August: Mr W was travelling to Port Arthur when his car experienced issues, and he noticed a bright light in the sky. The experience repeated on the way home, with a bright white cigar-like light appearing. His car engine cut out, and all electrics failed. The light was stationary before moving away at speed. He noted the light was about half moon in width.
• October 29th (approx. 4 am): Mr A and his wife were awoken by barking dogs. A bright orange flickering light was seen from a rear window, and later from the front. Mr A saw an orange streak move west. A whistling sound was also heard.

Two other cases from the same area are mentioned: a light to the north of Warrane on October 27th that shot upwards at speed, and a red flashing light seen over Rosny Hill on November 9th.

Sighting in Argentina

A flight crew for Aerolineas Argentinas and aviation officials observed a luminous object approaching Bariloche airport. Flight Captain Jorge Polanco reported that airport lights went out as the object departed, and control tower instruments behaved strangely. Ground observers saw the UFO had shining lights on its belly. The object, described as the size of a jetliner with two green lights and a flashing orange light, changed colours and flew in tandem with the airliner for about 100 metres after the pilot performed evasive maneuvers. Air Force Major Jorge Oviedo confirmed the sighting and a simultaneous power outage throughout the city. The UFO then departed at "an unnatural speed". Information was also received via the Internet.

Latest on Dr. Mack

Harvard Medical School has decided not to censure tenured professor Dr. John Mack, a psychiatrist and UFO researcher who believes in alien visitations and abductions. A review by a peer committee found no grounds for censure, and the university reaffirmed Dr. Mack's academic freedom. The investigation was controversial, with some academics viewing it as an assault on academic freedom, while others saw it as a legitimate review of his research standards. Harvard urged Dr. Mack to be careful not to violate clinical practice standards. The review committee chairman stated the university would not take action against someone with unorthodox views, comparing Mack to Galileo.

Skywatch

• Venus: Visible as "The Evening Star" in the south-western sky, setting at dusk. It will become higher in the sky until Autumn and remain visible until June 1996.
• Saturn: Currently in Aquarius, visible in the NNW at about 10 PM. It will become lower in the West and set in twilight by the end of January.
• Planetary Conjunction: Saturn and Venus will appear very close in the early evening of February 2nd, 1996, in the Western sky.
• Comet Hale-Bopp: Discovered mid-year, it is currently too distant for naked eye observation but is predicted to become visible in early 1997. It may become the brightest comet of the century, best viewed from the northern hemisphere in March 1997.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the long history and ongoing work of the TUFOIC Centre in investigating UFO phenomena in Tasmania, the detailed cataloging of past and present sightings, and the intersection of UFO research with broader scientific and academic discourse (as seen with the Dr. John Mack case). The editorial stance appears to be one of dedicated, methodical investigation and a commitment to documenting UFO activity, while also acknowledging the challenges and occasional hoaxes encountered. The inclusion of astronomical information suggests an interest in distinguishing terrestrial and celestial phenomena from potential UFOs.